Trump defends new Press Secretary after firing alarm over first briefing, reveals his verdict
President Trump on White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia: "I thought she was very good." Q: "You said she's an attorney. Where did she pass the bar exam? Which state?" Zacharia: "When I moved to China." Q: "Where did you pass the bar exam?" https://t.co/5xiwyEsVSs
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 13, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC: Soon after newly appointed White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia’s 14-minute press briefing sparked media criticism and a warning from a White House official that she could be fired, President Donald Trump stepped in to defend her.
An MS Now media panel raised questions about Zacharia’s performance behind the podium, while a White House official warned that she needed to improve quickly or risk being fired.
President Trump says Zacharia did good job on first day
President Donald Trump defended his newly minted White House press secretary after her widely panned debut at the briefing room podium, praising her as she beamed behind him.
When reporters outside the White House asked President Trump about Zacharia while he was departing to Alaska, Trump remarked that he thought she had done well during her first briefing on Tuesday morning.
“Who?” the president asked over the roar of nearby aircraft.
He then turned to look at Zacharia before looking back at the reporters.
“I thought she did very good,” he said. “I thought she was very good.”
Zacharia stood behind Trump wearing dark sunglasses and clutching her purse.
The 41-year-old Zacharia was appointed White House press secretary last week.
She succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who announced in August that she would leave the role to spend more time with her family following the birth of her second child.
The Mother of four, who served briefly as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, appeared nervous during her first press briefing.
She preferred reading her remarks and taking a few softball questions before ending the briefing after just 14 minutes.
White House official says Zacharia could be fired if she doesn't improve quickly
The anonymous White House official told MS NOW’s Jake Traylor that Zacharia was on track to break former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci’s record for a short tenure.
Scaramucci’s tenure lasted for only 10 days during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017.
“Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot. She needs to get much better, fast, otherwise she’ll break Scaramucci’s record,” the source told Traylor.
Quote from a WH official just now following Katie Zacharia's first press briefing: "Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot. She needs to get much better, fast, otherwise she'll break Scaramucci's record."
— Jake Traylor (@jake__traylor) October 13, 2026
Former New York Democratic Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, appearing on an MS NOW panel analyzing Zacharia’s performance, laughed at her first appearance at the White House podium as the network cut away from her opening remarks.
“Well, it’s a purely political speech. She’s the official White House Press Secretary. She is not there to talk about campaign rallies and to talk about the campaign and to talk about her favorite issue,” Maloney said.
